Judges 20 Study Guide
In chapter 19, the Levite sent a dire message to all points in Israel: deal with the grievous problem that happened in Gibeah. There, the Levite’s concubine was raped and murdered at the hands of fellow Israelites. In that. the Levite chopped her up and sent her body parts to the different tribes of Israel, hoping to summon them into action agains the heinous crime. It seems to have worked. The assembling, from Dan to Beersheba ( a colorful way of saying “all of Israel; Dan being the most northern point, Beersheba furthest to the south) signals Israel’s willingness to tackle sin in its midst. This is in alignment with Deuteronomy 13:12-18, which instructs Israel to come together and first uncover if the charges are true. If so, they are instructed to destroy the menace.